1 . Canadians are blessed with an abundance of natural wonders with enough lakes, mountains and rivers to explore for a lifetime. We’ve also got some of the most amazing waterfalls on Earth.

Horseshoe Falls Niagara Falls, Ontario

Niagara Falls are the most famous waterfalls in Canada — and understandably so. Actually they are made up of three different falls, and the fittingly named Horseshoe Falls is the only one located on the Canadian side, which is the most powerful in North America. Multiple viewing options are available including tourist ships and sightseeing buses.

Nailicho (Nirginia Falls) Nahanni National Park Reserve, Northwest Territories

Coming in at twice the height of Niagara Falls, this massive waterfall is located on the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories. The remote location means it receives only about 1,000 visitors per year who must make their way by either boat or floatplane.

Takakkaw Falls — Yoho National Park, British Columbia

Takakkaw translated from Cree loosely means “the magnificent (壮丽的)”, and it’s a suitable word for the second-highest waterfall in Canada. After a steep drive up a winding road, Takakkaw Falls is only a short distance from the parking lot along a wheelchair accessible path.

Bridal Veil Falls — Bridal Veil Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia

Pretty and delicate, Bridal Veil Falls is located just east of Chilliwack, British Columbia, and really does look like its name, with water gently pouring over smooth rock. An easy 15-minute walk to the waterfall takes you through rich leaves. Tables are available to have a meal outdoors, and there are lots of opportunities for viewing wildlife along the way.

1. What do we know about Horseshoe Falls?

A．It is easily accessible.

B．It consists of three falls.

C．It limits tourist numbers.

D．It crosses North America.

2. How can visitors go to Takakkaw Falls?

A．By tourist ship.	B．By cable car.
C．By floatplane.	D．By car.

3. What can visitors do in Bridal Veil Falls?

A．Swim.

B．Camp.

C．Picnic.

D．Hunt.

3 . Bangkok (曼谷) developed around the Chao Phraya River. Many of the city’s hotels sit along the river. The areas of Siam and Ratchaprasong are the core of tourist Bangkok. Sukhumvit Road is home to mall after mall filled with every kind of shop.

For the best value, luxury (奢华的) hotels in the Bang Rak and Sathorn Districts are great choices since the area is more popular for office buildings than tourists. The Sathorn Vista, Bangkok is a perfect example. There are several restaurants, a full gym, a beautiful pool and outdoor areas.

Traditionally, the Khao San Road area has been the center of Bangkok budget lodging (住宿) and this is still true today. The Dang Derm Hotel on Khao San Road has clean, large rooms and a really nice rooftop pool. If you’re on a budget but want to stay riverside, try the Ibis Bangkok Riverside, whose contents are always clean and well-managed. The riverside location is close to the ferry, and its location a bit south of the main tourist area gets you very low prices.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok is a great family hotel. The hotel, which has buildings on both sides of the Chao Phraya river, has been providing accommodation to travelers since 1876. For families there are a number of connecting room choices, and the hotel is also responsible for bringing in extra beds for children. There is a kids’ club on-site, and parents can even sign older kids up for cooking classes. Another good option for families is Ariyasomvilla. This downtown Bangkok small hotel also offers a pleasant place in the city. It is set inside a beautiful garden and is a lovely change from the disorder of the city.

1. In which area of Bangkok can you find a hotel on a budget?

A．The Sukhumvit Road.	B．The Khao San Road area.
C．The Siam and Ratchaprason areas.	D．The Bang Rak and Sathorn Districts.

2. Which of the following does Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok provide?

A．A quiet garden-like environment.	B．Room-connecting choices .
C．Registered kid schooling classes.	D．Wonderful economical lodging.

3. How many kinds of hotels are introduced in the text?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.

4 . Mount Qingyuan Tourist Attraction is located in Quanzhou city, Fujian province, and is renowned for its quiet scenery and ancient cultural landscapes.

The mountain features granite rocks(花岗岩) with the summit at 618 meters. The annual average temperature is between 17℃ and 21.3℃, making it an ideal getaway at any time of the year.

According to historical records, the mountain was developed as early as the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). After centuries of development, there are still nine statues from the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties, about 700 ruins of stone carvings and many stone structures dating back to the Yuan and Ming (1644-1911) dynasties.

The most representative highlight of the tourist attraction is the statue of Laozi, which is renowned for being the largest stone carving made during the Song Dynasty. Laozi is the author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of philosophical Taoism. The statue is a Major Historical and Cultural Site protected at the National Level. It measures 8 meters in length, 6.85 meters in width, and 5.63 meters in height, occupying 55 square meters.

Scenic Spot Level: AAAAA

Ideal Sightseeing Season: all year

Recommended Duration For A Visit: Half a day

Opening Hours: 5:00-18:00

Ticket Price: 70 yuan

Free admission for children under 6 years or 1.2 meters; Quanzhou residents between 60 and 70 years old; visitors over 70 years old; the military; retired public servants; and the disabled with valid certificates (ID, passport, etc)

50 percent off ticket prices for visitors between 6 and 18 years old; full-time students; teachers; visitors between 60 and 70 years old with valid certificates

Address: Fengze district, Quanzhou, Fujian province

Bus Routes: 3, 10, 15, 28, 30, 45, 202, 209, 601, K1

Note: Some scenic spots might close due to landslides.

1. Which of the following statement about the statue of Laozi is true?

A．It is the most famous part of Mount Qingyuan Tourist Attraction.

B．It is known for being the largest stone carving in history.

C．It is a Historical and Cultural Site protected at the international Level.

D．It is 8 meters long and 5.63 meters wide.

2. How much should a couple with a child aged 10 pay for admission?

A．210 yuan

B．175 yuan

C．140 yuan

D．105 yuan

3. Where is the passage most probably taken from?

A．a research report

B．a local newspaper

C．a nature magazine

D．a travel brochure

6 . On the west bank of the Grand Canal in Tongxiang, Jiaxing City, stands a 1,300-year-old ancient town of Wuzhen. Local people’s way of life centers around rich water resources. Traditional buildings in white and grey are well preserved after hundreds of years.

Over the years, Wuzhen has been transformed from a residential area to a popular tourist destination. Today it shows fascinating China via its gorgeous water town scenery, growing soft power and international influence.

Travel tips:

Food: Food in Wuzhen is a delight to enjoy. Wuzhen is home to abundant fish, so pickled Taihu Lake whitewater fish is a good start. The meat is delicate, smooth, and tender, but mind the fish bones.

Transportation: Wuzhen is 1.5-hour drive from Hangzhou and 2-hour drive from Shanghai. The Shanghai-Wuzhen Highway is well serviced and there are special bus lines available. It would be a good option to include a journey of a day or two to Wuzhen next time you visit Shanghai or Hangzhou.

Climate: Typical subtropical monsoon climate with great sunshine and rich rainfall.

Admission fee: 150 yuan ($21) for the West Scenic Zone and 110 yuan ($15.5) for the East Scenic Zone. You may only pay 190 yuan ($26.7) for both zones.

Opening hours: The West Scenic Zone opens from 9:00 a.m. to 22:00 p.m. The East Scenic Zone opens from 7:00 a.m. to 18:00 p.m. in summer and 7:00 a.m. to 17:30 p.m. in winter.

For more information, visit the official website.

1. What do we know about Wuzhen?

A．It remains unchanged for centuries.

B．Its life style is based on water resources.

C．It is closer to Shanghai than to Hangzhou.

D．Its traditional buildings are severely damaged.

2. How much can a visitor save if he visits both zones?

A．$5.5.

B．$5.7.

C．$9.8.

D．$11.2.

3. Which of the following is a good piece of advice for visitors?

A．Take an umbrella with you.	B．Go to Wuzhen by sea.
C．Visit the East Scenic Zone after 18:00.	D．Avoid eating Taihu Lake whitewater fish.

7 . Banff National Park is Canada’s firstborn national park and was recognized in 1885. Located in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta, Banff includes 6,641 square kilometers of glaciers and ice fields, thick coniferous forest, and alpine(高山的) scenery. The Icefields Park-way spreads from Lake Louise, connecting to Jasper National Park in the north. Provincial forests and Yoho National Park are neighbors to the west while Kootenay National Park is situated to the south. The main commercial center of the park is the town of Banff, in the Bow River valley.

The Canadian Pacific Railway was contributory in Banff’s early years, building the Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise hotel in the park and attracting tourists through widespread advertising. In the early 20th century, roads were built in Banff, at times by prisoners of World War I, and through Great Depression-era public works projects, As Banff has over three million visitors annually, the health of its ecology has been endangered. In the mid-1990s, Parks Canada launched a two-year study to preserve ecological integrity.

Banff National Park has a subarctic climate(副极地气候) with three ecoregions. The forests feature lodgepole pine at lower heights and Engelmann spruce at higher ones below the tree line, above which are chiefly rocks and ice. Mammal(哺乳动物) species such as the grizzly bear, cougar, wolverine, moose and bighorn sheep are found along with hundreds of bird species. Reptiles(爬行动物) are also found but only a restricted number of species have been recorded.

The mountains were formed from sedimentary rocks(沉积岩) which were pushed east over newer rock formations, between 80 and 55 million years ago. Over the previous few million years, glaciers have at times covered most of the park, but today are found only on the mountainsides though they include the Columbia Icefield, the largest continuous glacial mass in the Rockies. Erosion(侵蚀) from water and ice has molded the mountains into their existing shapes.

1. What can we infer about Banff National Park?

A．It was built mainly by prisoners.

B．It is the oldest national park in Canada.

C．It is connected to three other provincial parks.

D．It failed to satisfy visitors’ demand for commercial activities.

2. What was a contribution of the Canadian Pacific Railway?

A．Building roads in Banff.

B．Constructing hotels in Banff.

C．Preserving the ecology of Banff.

D．Providing multiple railway lines to Banff.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The biodiversity of Banff.

B．The limited knowledge of reptiles.

C．The complex climate system of Banff.

D．The mammals’ severe living conditions.

4. What does the underlined word “molded” most probably mean?

A．Stuck.

B．Broken.

C．Formed.

D．Followed.

8 . Caño Cristales is a famous river in Colombia known as the “river of five colours”. It is also considered by many as the most beautiful river in the world.

Located in the Serranía de la Macarena National Park in Colombia, the river is made up of several waterfalls, rapids and plenty of pools. With a length of around 62 miles, it lies entirely within the national park.

From January to May, Caño Cristales looks like any other river. There is a bed of rocks covered with moss (苔藓) below a cool, clear river. However，between June and early December the most amazing change takes place there. During this time, the river becomes a mix of colours, including yellow, blue, green, orange and red. And it is the most beautiful from July to October.

At first, people thought the colours might be man-made. However, this rainbow-like river is formed completely naturally. The colours are the result of a rare plant in the river which changes its colours according to how much sunlight it receives.

The plant is beautiful but weak. This makes it easily damaged. Within the park, there are a lot of human activities that may cause damage to the river. Normally from mid-December to May, the river is closed to tourists to give the area’s ecosystem a break. Also, during the dry season there is not enough water to support life in the river.

Anyway,Caño Cristales stands out as one of Colombia’s most popular natural attractions, drawing thousands of tourists every year.

1. To enjoy the most beautiful view of the river, you can visit it in________.

A．January

B．April

C．June

D．October

2. Why does the river have so many colors?

A．Because the river is artificial.

B．Because there is a rainbow in the river.

C．Because a plant in the river can change its colours.

D．Because there are lots of colourful rocks in the river.

3. What can you learn about the river from the text?

A．The river is colourful all the time.

B．The river is closed most of the year.

C．The beauty of the river can be damaged easily.

D．Life in the river doesn’t need much water to support.

4. Where is the text probably taken from?

A．In a geography magazine.

B．In a business newspaper.

C．In a science report.

D．In a storybook.

9 . To fully appreciate Australian cuisine, you have to consider the unique nature of its wildlife and geography. For one thing, there are the wide plains in the interior of the country, which are home to millions of grazing animals. For another, there is Australia’s long coastline, which is next to all the riches of the sea. It is no wonder then that much of Australian cuisine centres around red meat and seafood.

One of the most popular red meats in Australia is also unique to the continent: kangaroo. This may seem strange as the kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia. However, in recent years, kangaroos have increased in number to around 45 million. These kangaroos wander onto the roads and into cities, making trouble. Their increased numbers have also harmed plants and other wildlife. As a consequence, the government is encouraging people to use these animals as food, and kangaroo has become one of the most popular items on the Australian dinner table.

As for seafood, many of the first Europeans who came to Australia loved the sea. Perhaps this is one reason why so many Australians live near the coast. Since the coastline is so long, each region has its own dishes that are related to the seafood found in its waters. The list of seafood available at the local fish market is like a tour of the coast: salmon, prawns, oysters, tuna, shark, crab, and many more. However, if you want to really take in the full experience, you should go to the fish market in Sydney early in the morning and see the fish being prepared for sale. Better yet, you can sign up to go deep-sea fishing.

But then, how is all this food cooked? Perhaps the favourite way of cooking food in Australia is the barbecue, or “barbie”. Given the fine weather, Australians love to eat outside. Casual friendliness is the key to such meals. It is a time for friends and relatives to get together and have fun. Even strangers passing through will be offered a seat, a cold drink, and something off the grill. Often these barbecues feature a “mixed grill”, which means cooking all kinds of meat, seafood, and vegetables. So, at an Australian barbecue, you don’t have to eat kangaroo—or even eat meat at all—if you don’t want to.

Beyond this, what is Australian cooking? As Australia is a diverse country with people from many nations, Australian cooking now has flavors and cuisines from around the globe. No matter who you are and no matter what cuisine interests you, you are always sure to find a warm welcome and a full plate waiting for you in Australia.

1. Why does Australian cuisine centre around red meat and seafood?

A．Most of the Australians like red meat and seafood.

B．Red meat and seafood do good to people’s health.

C．Australia is home to grazing animals and has a long coastline.

D．Australians have no other cuisine choices except meat and sea food.

2. Why is the Australian government encouraging people to eat kangaroos?

A．The kangaroo is a national symbol of Australia.

B．The meat of kangaroos is delicious and full of nutrition.

C．The kangaroo has the largest number in the Australian animals.

D．Kangaroos have caused too much trouble to other plants and wildlife.

3. If you want to truly learn about the seafood in Australia, the best choice is ________.

A．to sign up for deep-sea fishing	B．to go to a barbecue get-together
C．to travel along the coastline in a car	D．to pay a visit to a fish market in Sydney

4. Which is the suitable topic of this passage?

A．What’s cooking in Australia?

B．Are kangaroos important to Australians?

C．Is nature of Australian wildlife and geography unique?

D．Why is barbecue the favourite way of cooking food in Australia?

10 . The State of California is depending on its forests to help cut down planet-warming CO₂. But that climate-change strategy may be risky, as new research from the University of California, Irvine(UCI)reports that trees in California’s mountains and open spaces are dying from wildfires and other pressures — and fewer new trees are filling the blank.

“The forests are not keeping up with these large fires,” said study co-author James Randerson, the Ralph J. and Carol M. Cicerone Professor of Earth system science at UCI. Acrossthe whole state, tree cover area has dropped 6.7% since 1985. “These are big changes in lessthan forty years,” he said. It’s the first time that researchers have been able to measure tree population fall in California, and find out the reasons(wildfires and woodcutting).

For the study, the UCI-led team used satellite data from the USGS and NASA’s Landsat mission to study plant changes between 1985 and 2021. They found that one of the most obvious falls in tree cover was in southern California, where 14% of the tree population in local mountain had disappeared, maybe everlastingly.

“The ability. of forests to recover(恢复)from fire appears to be dwindling in the south,” said Jonathan Wang, a researcher in Randerson’s research group, who led the study coming out in AGU Advances. “At the same time, the state’s coverage of bushes and grasses is rising, which could mean more everlasting ecosystem shifts(生态系统转化).”

“The speed and scale of fall in tree cover is different across the state. Tree cover in the Sierra Nevada, for example, stayed relatively unchanged until around 2010, then began dropping suddenly. Fortunately, in the north, there’s plenty of recovery after fire,” said Wang, perhaps because of the area’s higher rainfall and cooler temperatures. “This threat(威胁) to California’s climate solutions isn’t going away anytime soon,” Wang said. “We might be entering a new age of bigger fire and vulnerable(易受损的) forests.”

1. What mainly helped California cut down CO₂?

A．Rich forests.	B．Less vehicles.
C．Energy saving.	D．Fine weather.

2. What has caused the drop of tree cover in the past few years?

A．Poor soil.

B．Continual floods.

C．High demand for farmland and food.

D．Large wildfires and people’s cutting trees.

3. What does the underlined word “dwindling” in paragraph 4 mean?

A．Suitable.

B．Falling.

C．Obvious.

D．Boring.

4. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．California’s trees will die out in the future

B．California’s environment will face a big challenge

C．The reasonfor California wildfires has been found out

D．Wildfires seriously threaten California’s tree cover